Customer service 101: Why we show how the sausage is made

One of the best ways to build a press strategy is to see it as another form of marketing. Media gatekeepers may not make financial purchases, but they are “buying” story ideas which are valuable to their audiences. That’s why getting in the press requires the marketing approach of targeting the right audiences with the right message multiple times with different forms and variations.

Helping clients understand how we approach the media is good customer service. From Day One, we show clients on how our process will achieve top-line goals three, six, and 12 months from now.

Here are three ways we help you see the step-by-step successes that will achieve your top-line goals.

Starting the media outreach sales funnel

Great marketing takes several months to secure positive indicators and over a year to be embedded into a target audience’s mind. That’s when significant sales (or other outcomes) are achieved. Executives are patient with marketing because they know it takes time to separate from the pack and imprint the brand in people’s minds.

The same principle applies to gaining interest and coverage from media gatekeepers. Like other consumers, they are bombarded with hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, and Tweets per day seeking to be in their scarce article, podcast, or TV space.

Marketing has begun to succeed when consumers watch the entire YouTube video instead of hitting “skip.” It has succeeded better when they spend more time on your website, and then when you see initial sales.

The press version of this is seeing high press release open rates, then high click-through rates, then media contacting you for comments or interviews. The “sales” start happening when clients see big mentions in small outlets or small mentions in big outlets.

Existing isn’t enough 

The GIECO gecko is one of history’s most successful brands. That’s in part because while the gecko is always humorously talking about “15 percent in 15 minutes,” he is doing so on a street, on a battleship, or in a back office.

There are hundreds of insurance companies in America. They offer basically the same services at similar prices. But GEICO and the gecko live in millions of people’s brains because they’ve found a way to stand out. And when people have an insurance need, GEICO is top of mind.

Media gatekeepers are no different from any other consumer. Getting in front of the press is the first step, just as GEICO’s ad money puts it in front of consumers. But it’s the hilarious gecko that helps the company imprint on consumers’ minds.

It can be difficult to accept that your message doesn’t stand out for the first few months of a media campaign. However, understanding this early means that you’ll have fewer headaches and heartaches. It will also open your mind to creative pitch angles and outlet targets that will result in the “purchase” – the great piece of coverage you’ve always wanted.

Saturation vs niche media

A final way that we show how the sausage is made is helping clients understand how their message fits into gatekeepers’ beats and the overall news cycle.

For example, most tech reporters aren’t covering AI every day. They certainly aren’t covering how AI affects markets every day. An AI niche executive needs to understand that patience is key to build the cadence and trust with gatekeepers, while a broader tech executive should understand that media saturation brings a whole different challenge to the PR team.

Executives who understand which types of media they are trying to secure also know why the media doesn’t cover them every day; and we find that they are more appreciative when days or months from now their message lands exactly where they want it to.

Always bring great customer service to the table

Executives hire or fire PR pros based on trust. We’re in a nebulous industry which struggles to prove value through traditional metrics. Regular communication with executives is therefore critical to proper customer service. Without that communication – without helping clients see the process and metrics for success – we’re sunk.

That’s why we use several steps to communicate with clients from start to finish:

• Set expectations on outcomes before signing a contract.
• A detailed outline of deliverables and deadlines so the client knows the internal cadence and feels comfortable holding us accountable.
• Secure early press on or ahead of schedule so clients trust that we can deliver.
• Provide bonus placements through republishings or secondary coverage of initial placements.
• Work with other team members whose success can accelerate press outcomes, like the marketing team, business development team, or the investor/donor relations team.
• Provide monthly reports so the client can see both the outcomes secured and the hard work done to secure those outcomes.

A version of this piece was originally published by at PR News Online by Dustin Siggins.